On Monday we went back to 1997 and Shania Twain’s Come On Over, but the country music news this week was all about who gets the big stage now. The CMA Awards named its first performers and Ella Langley kept rewriting the record book. The focus for this ACountry Friday Roundup? The legends are still on the bill, but the new class is breaking the records.
Ella Langley, Tim McGraw and Miranda Lambert Lead the First CMA Awards Performers
On Thursday the CMA named the first round of performers for the 60th Annual CMA Awards: Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Ella Langley, Tim McGraw, Kacey Musgraves, The Red Clay Strays, Zach Top and Tucker Wetmore. The night will also include a special tribute to Dolly Parton, who we lost in August. Lainey Wilson hosts solo for a third straight year, live from Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. CT on ABC and Disney+. Not everyone is celebrating: Sammy Kershaw said that the CMA turned down his request to walk the red carpet, calling it “extremely hurtful, embarrassing and very disappointing.”
Why it matters: Langley, the top nominee with nine nods, shares the bill with McGraw and Lambert. For its 60th, the CMA is pitching one big family table, which is why the Kershaw snub stings.
Sources: MusicRow, Whiskey Riff, Saving Country Music
Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” Hits 26 Weeks at No. 1 as Morgan Wallen Makes Airplay History
“Choosin’ Texas” spent its 26th week on top of the Billboard Hot 100 (chart dated Nov. 7), stretching the all-time record it first set in September after reclaiming the top spot last week. Meanwhile Morgan Wallen‘s “Been By Now” became his 23rd Country Airplay No. 1 and his fourth of 2026, making him the first artist with four or more No. 1s on that chart in three straight years.
Why it matters: Half a year at the top of the all-genre chart is something no song had ever done. Country is not borrowing the spotlight anymore, it is running the light board.
Sources: Whiskey Riff, American Songwriter, American Songwriter (Wallen), Whiskey Riff (Wallen)
Garth Brooks Is Heading Back to Ireland for 10 Stadium Shows
Garth Brooks announced 10 Irish stadium shows for 2027, two nights each in Belfast (May 21-22), Galway (May 29-30), Kilkenny (June 4-5), Limerick (June 11-12) and Cork (June 18-19). Tickets go on sale Thursday, Nov. 12 at 8 a.m. Irish time, with no presale. Irish fans will remember the cancelled 2014 Croke Park run.
Why it matters: Two weeks after we looked back at his 2000 retirement, Garth is taking the show town by town. That is how legends keep loyalty.
Sources: RTÉ, Whiskey Riff
Bernie Taupin Makes His Grand Ole Opry Debut Saturday Night
Elton John’s longtime lyricist plays the Opry on Saturday, Nov. 7, at both the 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. shows, his first public performance in nearly 30 years. It supports The Sea Has No Mercy, his first solo album in nearly 40 years, out on Vertigo/MCA Nashville. Carrie Underwood is on the early show too.
Why it matters: Story is country’s native tongue. When a writer of his stature picks the Opry for his return, it tells you where the song still gets respect.
Sources: Grand Ole Opry, Shore Fire Media
Sand In My Boots 2027 and Vincent Mason’s Tour Go On Sale Today
Morgan Wallen’s Sand In My Boots festival returns to Gulf Shores, Alabama, May 21-23, 2027, with Wallen, Kings of Leon and Langley headlining and Vincent Mason and Hudson Westbrook (whose new album Made You Look is out today) on the bill. General on-sale is today at 10 a.m. CT, with three-day GA passes starting at $676.87, a price Saving Country Music called “ridiculous.” Mason’s own 21-date When You’re Not Around Tour (Feb. 11 to May 8) also goes on sale today at 10 a.m. local.
Why it matters: The new class is getting real billing, but prices like these test how far a fan’s budget stretches.
Sources: WLOX, Holler, Saving Country Music, Holler (Mason), TicketNews
Remembering Nicole Taylor of Taylor Red
Nicole Taylor, one third of the triplet trio Taylor Red, died Sept. 28 in Nashville at 35 after a battle with breast cancer, her sisters Nika and Natalie shared on Nov. 2. The family held a private funeral. In their words, “She was our leader and our best friend.”
Why it matters: Sibling harmony is one of country’s oldest gifts, and the Taylor sisters shared theirs for more than 15 years. Our hearts are with Nika, Natalie and their family.
Sources: Good Morning America, HELLO!
Your Turn
Which CMA performance are you most fired up for: record-breaker Ella Langley or 30-plus-years-of-hits Tim McGraw? And would you pay those Sand In My Boots prices? Tell us in the comments.
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